Wisconsin, Penn St. try to focus on title game _ not playoff

The Penn State Nittany Lions are taking on the Wisconsin Badgers tonight in the Big Ten Championship Game.

To the committee, MI passes the eye test more than Penn State.

The Big Ten’s door to getting two teams in the College Football Playoff closed halfway when Washington blew out Colorado 41-10 in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday night. Under these current rules, the Badgers or Nittany Lions might be relegated to a Rose Bowl appearance.

Penn State drove 62 yards on the scoring drive, capped by a one-yard Saquon Barkley touchdown dive. He was honored Wednesday as the Big Ten offensive player of the year. Dare Ogunbowale has been a nice compliment to Clement, adding 458 yards on the season and has added three touchdowns. The Nittany Lions not only beat the Buckeyes, but walloped Iowa, as well.

“We go to Penn State, which is another Big Ten test”, Marshall head coach Matt Daniel said. I think one quality of this team that I’ve appreciated a ton this year is their ability to make the most of the moment.”I don’t spend any time trying to figure out or think about the big picture”.

“The big question was does he have the size to play the position because of the physical demands?” Looks like he’s gaining confidence and going. But it isn’t a race for No. 1, it’s college football by a Secretriat-in-the-Belmont distance (31 lengths if you don’t know anything about horse racing). Ohio State lost to Penn State but has wins over MI and Wisconsin and No. 9 Oklahoma, which plays No. 10 Oklahoma State. And, with winning the division title, a trip to Indianapolis to take on the West Division Champions – the Wisconsin Badgers.

Even if Hornibrook’s availability had already been decided, the Badgers may not want the media – or Penn State – to know as much.

The Badgers moved methodically into Penn State territory on their final drive, but on fourth and 1 from the Lions 24, Corey Clement was stopped by Grant Haley short of the sticks with 1 minute, 1 second to play, and the Lions ran out the clock. In between, the games have been mostly blowouts.

Both the Badgers and Nittany Lions were beaten by MI earlier this season, but coach Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines sputtered down the stretch, losing two of three games in November, to Iowa and Ohio State.

“I was a campaign manager four years ago for the best conference champions”, he said. Though they trail Wisconsin in the rankings, Penn State might actually have the better case for inclusion. Also, the inexperienced defensive line has begun to get push into opposing backfields with speed rush around the ends to flush quarterbacks out of the pocket. The Nittany Lions have not lost since, and Happy Valley is happier than it’s been with its football team in the five years since a scandal shook the program and school.

They’ve got to be in, right? Their two defensive ends are well-coached, they’re physical. Good work by them. But he looks like a heck of a quarterback. Wisconsin strangth is pass defense, leading the nation with 21 INTs. He’s also shown a mobility not seen with Hornibrook, which makes defenses account for another dimension of the offense. UW won its final eight games and finished 12-1 and No. 5 in Bret Bielema’s first season as head coach.

– At Friday night meetings before game Saturdays, Franklin chooses one player and one coach or staff member to “do a share, ” which is to get up in front of the group and tell something about themselves, their family or their personal lives.

Through the first two quarters of rain-drenched play, No. 9 Oklahoma and No. 9 Oklahoma State slogged their way to a dead-even tie in the 111th Bedlam matchup.